The International English Language Testing System ¨C used by students around the world to gain entry into anglophone study programmes and universities ¨C has announced it will begin an at-home testing service.

The world¡¯s biggest English test provider, IELTS conducts the only such evaluation approved by UK Visas and Immigration. It is particularly popular among Asian students, who make up a significant portion of international students heading to the UK, as well as to Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

But when testing centres closed due to Covid-19, this pipeline was effectively shut off.

Christine Nuttall, managing director for IELTS at Cambridge Assessment English, said the at-home testing option, which is due to be rolled out in early 2022, would give students ¡°greater flexibility¡±.

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¡°It will also mean faster results for test takers, as validated results will be available as soon as three days after the test. By making the world¡¯s leading test available online, we aim to empower even more people to take IELTS,¡± she said.

The online version will have the same content and format as the pen-and-paper tests currently offered by the company, as well as a ¡°real-time face-to-face speaking test¡±, to be delivered online by examiners, IELTS said.

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IELTS is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP Education and Cambridge Assessment. Earlier this year the British Council sold the entirety of the business that delivers in-person testing in India to IDP, after suffering a significant decline in income.

pola.lem@timeshighereducation.com